Friday, February 8, 2013

Undiscovered Disney

Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Blue. Today, we are sharing some of the best treasures that are truly Undiscovered Disney.

When I was standing out in the freezing cold morning before the Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington, D.C., I knew I had to think of a good topic for this month's loop. What came to mind were those not-too-old, but dated enough, Disney documentaries (on Netflix!) called "Undiscovered Disney." Is anyone else singing the theme song?

The problem with those movies, is that all the "undiscovered" details are the Cinderella Castle Suite or Disney Quest - not really secrets to those of us reading/writing Disney blogs. Plus, there is a scene in one of them that shows Epcot with the wand, so they're in need of a serious update.

Movies aside, Disney is known for "plussing up" everything - adding extra details, attractions, and amenities where they may not be needed, but they add to the magical experience.

One place in particular strikes me as "Undiscovered" more than everything else - Fort Wilderness. Most people know about Fort Wilderness for the Hoop-Dee-Do Revue, but I rarely hear anything else. And, probably because camping has never been on my radar, I've never really thought too much about that area. But now, there is so much about Fort Wilderness that I want to check out - mostly, the Tri-Circle-D Ranch.

Picture from Wikipedia

Tri-Circle-D stands for the 3 circles of the mickey head and D for, well, what else but Disney? It's home to all of the horses on Disney property - the ones that pull the cars down Main Street, that are in the parade, etc... They even have carriage rides, pony rides, and more!

There are Disney-inexpensive wagon rides around the ranch ($8 for adults, $5 for kids)

Picture from Disney.com

Other than horses, Fort Wilderness also has an archery experience for kids 6 and up. That's something I never knew until I started researching this post!

Another experience to look for at Fort Wilderness is Chip and Dale's Campfire Sing-a-long - though Disney hosts camp fires and movie nights at many resorts, the one at Fort Wilderness is the only one (that I know of) with characters!Have you ever experienced Fort Wilderness? I'm hoping to experience it in just a couple of weeks!Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Days in the Park.Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
**1st Stop ~ Disney Babies Blog
2nd Stop ~ Days in the Park
3rd Stop ~ Pursuing the Magic
4th Stop ~ The CanaDisney Blog

I grew up going to the Fort with my parents in our travel trailer we'd pull all the way from Texas. I spent many great summers there and have wonderful memories. Things have changed quite a bit since then. I miss River Country, the open air trams, the peacocks, swimming in the lake, the petting zoo, and the arcade. It's still a great place, though! I hope you have a wonderful time.

Whenever we go to Hoop Dee Doo, we always head to Fort Wilderness early to walk around the grounds. My kids love the horses! We haven't tried the camp sing along with Chip and Dale, but weather permitting, may try it this trip!